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Michaela, her blush now gone, turned to look at Joel again. He was leaning forward, with a serious gleam in his eyes. He looked like a man on a mission, and it only made him that much more handsome.
“Daddy, won’t you consider it? I really think it’s a good idea,” Michaela said. “Two hundred dollars is a lot of money.”
“Quiet, girl,” her father snapped. He stayed silent for a long time, stroking his beard and ignoring the lava oozing from Michaela’s fiery blood. “It’s a deal,” he finally said.
Chapter Three
The next day, Raya found herself waiting on the front porch with Michaela. All of their things had been packed up and were sitting between them in only three suitcases. Raya had only taken up one of the suitcases, whereas Michaela had used two of them. She was sitting on the white swinging bench, fanning herself delicately. She was dressed to the nines, as though a journey across the country was a trip to the theater.
After the deal had been made with Joel, he promptly left. The three of them sat in silence for a long time, Raya with furrowed eyebrows and a deep frown. Michaela had squealed in excitement, throwing herself into her room and beginning to pack right away.
Raya had only felt a deep sense of betrayal that had soured her gut.
She supposed that, at least, she would be getting out of their small town. She could look forward to a better place to live, with better people, and she wouldn’t have to work anymore. Raya let a heavy sigh pass between her lips.
“What’s the matter with you?” Michaela asked. A light sheen of sweat had beaded along her hairline. It was nearly one hundred degrees, and there she was, sitting in full dress.
“I’m not exactly happy about this arrangement,” Raya said with furrowed eyebrows. She glanced at her sister, who looked like an old Southern Belle. Raya snickered to herself, it honestly wasn’t that outlandish of an image.
“Well, I’m not happy either,” Michaela snapped. “Why he needs the both of us, I won’t ever be able to understand.” She didn’t let a frown or a scowl distort her face, instead staying doll-like as they waited for Joel. “He should have just been happy with me,” Michaela muttered.
“He needs somebody to keep him entertained, doesn’t he?” Raya muttered.
The gasp she got from Michaela made the comment worth it. Michaela shot to her feet, her fan tossed to the other side of the porch. “Excuse you?” she snapped. She had her hands on her hips, and was bent slightly at the waist. It reminded Raya of being scolded by a schoolteacher.
“Face it, Michaela, you’re the pretty thing that everyone likes to look at, but not the one they want to get to know,” Raya said. “Besides, if they really got to know you, I don’t think they would think you were as pretty.”
Michaela made a noise of protest. Raya was certain that at that moment, if Joel hadn’t strolled up on a strong, chestnut stallion, Raya would have gotten a smack from her sister. Instead, Michaela put her happy face back on, and turned to Joel with a smile.
“Hello, darlings,” Joel greeted, “I trust you were having a friendly conversation between sisters?” He had a knowing tone to his voice that made Raya narrow her eyes. Michaela had picked it up, too, a little glint flashing in her caramel eyes.
“Of course, Joel,” Michaela replied. Her voice was like straight syrup, poured in extreme amounts over a pile of pancakes. “What else would we have been doing?” she asked.
Joel shrugged, watching Michaela closely. “It sounded to me like the two of you had maybe been fighting a little bit. Believe me, ladies, there’s plenty of me to go around.”
Michaela laughed and flipped her hair. “We weren’t fighting.” She sent a glare at Raya. “Just having a heated discussion.”
“Don’t you know that ladies don’t fight?” Raya replied. She stood up, and hauled up two of their three suitcases. “I thought you said you were going to get a coach?” she asked.
“I did, just give it a few minutes. I thought maybe I could sit with the two of you for a while and maybe have some lemonade,” Joel said. He hopped off his horse, displaying just how powerful his legs were. His shirt flipped up in the wind, giving the girls a perfect view of tanned skin.
“We don’t have any lemonade,” Raya said.
“I can make some!” Michaela interjected. She flashed Raya a little glare, as if scolding her for daring to tell Joel the truth. “I make the best lemonade in town,” she boasted.
Joel gave her a wide grin. He stepped up onto the porch, not even bothering with the little flight of stairs. In a flash, he pressed a kiss to Michaela’s cheek, and then pulled away. “That sounds lovely, darling,” he said.
Michaela blushed like a schoolgirl, and traipsed into the house, walking on clouds.
Raya remained with Joel, who took up a spot where Michaela had been. He sat closer to Raya, though, stretching his arm over the side and putting a hand on Raya’s knee. Raya promptly moved it away, keeping her gaze far from Joel. She could feel him looking at her, but she refused to look up and meet his challenge.
“You don’t seem as happy as your sister about this arrangement,” Joel said. He drew his hand back, sensing how uncomfortable Raya was. “She looks ready to burst.”
“That’s because she is ready to burst,” Raya said. She finally let herself look over at Joel, raising an eyebrow at him. “This is exactly what she’s been dreaming about since she was a child. For some stranger to come take her away and bring her to an exotic place and spoil her rotten.”
“That’s what I intend to do with her, but would you rather I did something else?” Joel asked.
Raya was honestly surprised by how caring Joel seemed. The night prior, she had pegged him as a brute who didn’t care about either of their feelings. “Well, I like the part about getting me a horse,” she said.
